A Fine Line
by Charliepie
Summary: Four years after Midgar was destroyed, the Turks are struggling to help rebuild Shinra - but after the death of Elena, they get a new member - how will the others react to her? She seems heartless, but maybe a certain someone can change that eventually...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

'Leader's got that serious look on his face again,' Reno whispered to Rude. 'What's happening?'

'Tseng!' The leader of the Turks stood up immediately as he heard his boss' voice; sure enough, President Rufus Shinra stood in front of him, along with a woman he had never seen before. 'This is the woman you will be working with from now on.' He walked over to Tseng, and spoke in a low voice so that he was out of earshot of the other Turks. 'She is to be second in command, ahead of both Reno and Rude. I assume you can take care of her.'

'Rufus,' Tseng replied, his voice sharp. 'You can't expect Reno to accept a demotion-'

'He'll have to. She's his superior.'

Tseng surveyed the apparent newest addition to the Turks. She stood perfectly still beside Rufus, the top of her head only just reaching his shoulder. Her hair was crimson, a similar colour to Reno's, and it flowed down to the middle of her back, held together in a loose ponytail. Her nails were painted the same shocking red as her hair, as were her lips, and her brilliant blue eyes were cold and unforgiving. Having not changed into the standard uniform of the Turks, she wore a simple white blouse and knee-length black skirt. The remainder of her legs were covered by the boots she wore, knee-high with a two-inch heel. She was almost the exact opposite of the woman she had been brought in to replace, the blonde woman who had never tried to hide her feelings from Tseng. But Elena was gone now, having given her life to save Tseng in their last mission. Tseng couldn't help but wonder if his time was nearly up - so many times he had evaded death.

'So,' Rufus spoke loudly, bringing Tseng back to reality. 'What do you think?'

'Well, she's-'

'Actually, it doesn't matter what you think, it's my decision. She's your new colleague.'

Rufus gave her a slight nudge in the back and she finally showed some movement; she inclined her head towards her new boss and slowly walked over to him.

'Toshi Kisaragi.' she introduced herself, her voice every bit as emotionless as her eyes. She held out her hand and Tseng shook it gently; up close, this new addition to the supposedly strong Turk group looked fragile, as if hitting her or squeezing her hand too hard would break her.

'Tseng,' he sounded vague as he told her his name, still grasping her hand, as he was studying her once more. From afar, she was a striking woman, but now that she was closer, all of her imperfections seemed magnified. A small scar ran from her chin to her nose, blemishing her lips and making her look as though she was permanently sneering. Both of her eyes were a vivid blue, but close up Tseng could see that one of them was slightly clouded, as though it has sustained some damage. Her face was unnaturally pale, her cheekbones unusually angular, and when she smiled she had small dimples in her cheeks. She was by no means beautiful, but there was something about her that Tseng found fascinating.

Toshi was smiling slightly, the first time she had shown any feeling, as she realised that Tseng was staring at her.

'What?' she asked, her voice soft. 'You're looking at me as though you find me interesting. But I could tell you my life story in two minutes.' She pulled her hand away from his and sat in one of the empty chairs at the table in the Turks' office.

'Hey, Rude,' Reno whispered so that Toshi and Tseng were unable to hear him. 'Look at the leader. He's going to have his hands full with that one. Elena did as she was told, since she was infatuated with him, but I don't think that's going to happen with her.'

Rude grunted in agreement and watched his leader sit down beside the woman. Tseng was frowning, although he did not realise it; he was doing it subconsciously.

'Well,' Tseng finally began, his usually calm voice sounding slightly agitated. 'Rufus tells me she is to be second in command.'

'What?' Reno stood up abruptly, tipping his chair backwards. 'But, Leader... I'm... I'm second in command!' As he saw Tseng's eyes spark with annoyance, he sat down again, his arms folded like a sulking child.

'Tseng-san,' Toshi looked at him, the expression on her face one of slight surprise, for she had not been told this by Rufus beforehand. 'How can I command these people? I don't know them.'

'Hmmm...' Tseng was just as confused as she was about Rufus' decision. 'How much do you know of us, the Turks?'

'Not that much,' she admitted with a slight shrug. 'I worked for Shinra for three years before Midgar was destroyed, but I've never worked alongside the Turks.'

'So... you don't know what we do? What the Turks do?' It was Reno who spoke this time, sounding just as puzzled as Tseng had.

'I'm not entirely sure how the company survived,' she told Tseng. 'What can you do now? The mako reactors are gone...' she sounded genuinely confused as to how Rufus Shinra had managed to re-establish the company that had supplied mako energy to towns across the planet. Now that they could no longer use mako energy, how did such a company survive?

'We're based here in Junon now,' Tseng's voice had returned to normal, a smooth, calm voice, that sounded as if it would be capable of soothing even the most restless child to sleep. 'We had a massive base here anyway, so it was easy to use it again.'

'I know you had a base here, I worked for Shinra, remember?' she sounded impatient, and she rolled her eyes. 'It has been a while, though,' she admitted. 'To be honest, even when I worked for Shinra, I didn't know much about the Turks or, well, anything. I was only in the Shinra Military Academy.' she paused momentarily, taking a breath before continuing. 'I just don't get how Shinra survived-'

'There will always be a company.' It was the president who interrupted her, and the four Turks seated around the table jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, since none of them had noticed him return. 'At the moment, we are trying to find new energy sources,' he explained. 'Since we've stopped supplying people with mako energy and all the reactors have been shut down, people have been living harder lives. And nobody wants to go back to mining coal.'

'Hmm...' Toshi frowned as she thought about what he had said. 'Makes sense, I guess... but, what do you guys do?' she gestured at the other Turks that were sat with her at the table. 'What do I do?'

Reno and Rude's mouths fell open in disbelief at the exact same time, but Tseng's face stayed stern. Rufus snorted with laughter and left the room, muttering to himself as he did so.

'We work in the General Affairs Department,' explained Tseng. 'But we... well. We do... other jobs.'

'Like...?' Toshi raised her eyebrows and stared at Tseng with her piercing eyes. But it was Reno that answered her, and she noticed that Tseng looked mildly uncomfortable at the question.

'Kidnappings, assassinations, you name it.' his voice was light and cheerful as he explained and Toshi sniggered slightly, her eyes still on Tseng.

'I'm sure you already guessed that,' said Tseng, meeting Toshi's cold gaze. He hesitated for a moment before turning to face Reno and Rude. 'You two, you're dismissed. See you tomorrow.'

'But, Leader-' Reno began to protest but a sharp look from Tseng silenced him. He turned and left the room, with Rude following just behind him. Toshi began to make her way towards the door too, assuming that she, too, had been dismissed.

'Wait.' Tseng spoke bluntly, as if he was trying to match Toshi's voice in terms of the lack of emotion.

'What?' Toshi sounded defiant. 'What do you want?'

'Uniform.' he threw a blue trouser suit at her and she caught it deftly, before holding it up to herself and sighing in disgust.

'I'm not wearing the trousers,' she decided, speaking half to herself. 'I hate trousers and I think they're about four inches too long... who did this belong to again? She was tall for a woman.'

'Elena.' Tseng's voice wavered as he struggled to keep any emotion from it; he and Elena had been close before her death, and she had made no secret of her feelings for him. 'She died about a month ago, protecting me.'

'I see,' Toshi's voice was indifferent, without sympathy. 'But how did she die?'

'We were in the Northern Crater, looking for any more remnants of Jenova. But she... well, I... I was stupid. There's a resistance group against the company that got information on where we were going and they caught me. But she wouldn't leave without me, and they shot her...' his voice tailed off and he looked up at Toshi. She stood, examining her nails as one would when they were not listening, and Tseng flinched away again. She was so cold, Tseng knew she would not hesitate to leave her comrades dying or captured if it meant she could escape.

'Tell me, Tseng,' she spoke after about a minute of silence between the two. 'Why do you think Rufus hired me as the new Turk, instead of somebody more like the dead one? Why didn't he hire somebody... closer to the company?'

'I don't know.' Tseng's voice wavered again, not with sadness, but with annoyance that this new member of his group could dismiss the woman that had been with them for years as 'the dead one'.

'Well,' Toshi moved closer, as though she was going to whisper something in his ear. 'I won't get... shall we say... attached to any of my colleagues.' she smiled at him and her eyes glinted with an emotion that Tseng could not pinpoint. He could not deny that she would probably make a very good Turk - emotion was something Elena had struggled with. It had not often affected her work but when it did, it was problematic, and it was what had ultimately caused her death.

'Toshi,' he stopped her once more, for she had begun to move towards the door. She turned towards him, her uniform still in her arms and stood facing him.

'What?' she was growing exasperated with her new boss now; all she wanted was to return to her home in Junon town.

'You told me that you could tell me your life story in two minutes. I like to hear about the people under my command, and I've got plenty of time to spare.'

**----x----**

**So, this is the only fic I have going at the moment ^__^**

**Please review it, tell me if my style is too blunt, or point out any errors (though there should be none, thanks to my beta reader, Kerry!)**

**I will be updating regularly, I have completed the original draft of the whole thing, just needs going over and beta-reading.**

**Toshi Kisaragi is completely my character design, but I don't claim to own any of the others... unfortunately ;__;**

**The only thing I didn't enjoy about writing this was killing Elena off... but I couldn't think of another way for a new Turk to join, and I couldn't bring myself to write Reno or Rude out of it! Sorry! ;__;  
**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Toshi rolled her eyes and made her way back to the table once more, increasingly exasperated at the way Tseng was delaying her.

'Well...' for the first time since she had entered the office that morning, Toshi looked unsure of herself. She hesitated for a moment before inclining her head slightly and beginning to speak.

'Alright...' she sighed, 'I was born in Wutai, twenty-five years ago. I'm the sister of Yuffie Kisaragi - I'm sure you've come across her, she was friends with Cloud - only, she doesn't know about me.' Toshi's eyes were fixed on the floor as she spoke, as though she were embarrassed to admit this. 'My father is Godo, the ruler of Wutai, but my mother was a woman whom he was only with once. He kept me away from his family when I was born, and never formally recognised me as his daughter...' her voice tailed off and she began to bite the already-red area around her nails.

'I thought I recognised the name Kisaragi...' Tseng muttered, half to himself. Realising he was stopping her from talking, he quickly apologised. 'Carry on.'

'I lived in Wutai until nine years ago, when my mother died. I wasn't sad, she was a horrible woman, and I couldn't socialise with anybody in case anybody found out who I was. I went to Midgar, where I was recruited by a Turk who complimented my skill at using these.' She pulled two pistols from a gun holster around her waist that she had kept hidden until then. 'I was put into the academy, but it disbanded when Midgar was destroyed.' She paused, wondering if she should say any more. Eventually, she spoke again, smirking slightly. 'I told you I could do it.'

Tseng shook his head slightly, unsure whether he should be amused or annoyed by his new colleague's lack of emotion.

'I guess I'd better let you go,' he sighed, resigned to the fact that she would not tell him any more, before turning away from her. 'Be here early tomorrow, I think Rufus has a job for us.' he flinched as he reminded himself of their last job, exactly a month ago, during which Elena had lost her life. He was surprised at his sadness at her death; she was a close friend but he had been unable to strike up a serious romantic relationship with her, due to the memory of Aeris, the Ancient who had died by the sword of Sephiroth. Originally, he had thought that her death would be relatively easy for him to get over, for he had lost many friends and colleagues over the years, but he was wrong, and the very mention of his old friend's name brought back the pain he had felt when he had witnessed her death. She had died in his arms, and her smile as the life in her faded would haunt him forever.

He turned around again to face Toshi, intending on saying goodbye, but she had already left without a word. He could hear the heels of her boots echoing against the stone floor as she made her way down the hallway, her long, red hair glowing in the bright light.

Sighing, he made his way over to the office he occupied at the side of the room the Turks had assembled in. He sat down at his desk and pulled a pile of paper in front of him, closing his eyes and yawning.

'Leader?' Tseng was jerked awake by a familiar voice.

'Reno? What are you doing here? I sent you home...' he paused momentarily to glance at his watch, 'over an hour ago.'

'I know. But, Leader...' he sounded uneasy, as opposed to his usual laid-back self. 'I wanted to speak to you when she wasn't here.'

'What is it, Reno?' he sighed, half-expecting that Reno would demand to be re-instated as second in command.

'She's weird,' he blurted out. 'Do you trust her? I don't know what Rufus is thinking...' Reno would not meet Tseng's gaze; part of him felt embarrassed that he was questioning the loyalty of a woman that was now his superior. Tseng looked at him, his eyes narrow.

'Should I not trust her?' he asked; he could not deny that Reno had a point, for she was unusually cold and she could be hiding anything. The red-haired man raised his gaze to his Leader'; he looked very uneasy.

'I don't know... she's so cold, you know?'

'Yeah...' Tseng sighed. 'But Reno, I want to trust her. And until I see a reason why I shouldn't, I will.'

'Oh, Leader,' Reno shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or feel exasperated with Tseng. 'You're too soft. Remember how you always failed to capture Aeris...? You never really tried, did you?'

'Of course I did!' Tseng retorted sharply, although he knew that Reno was closer to the truth than he was willing to admit. 'I got her, didn't I?'

'After how many attempts?' Reno knew he should not be speaking to his leader so defiantly, but he could not help it. 'It took you years to get her, didn't it?' he was also taunting his Tseng now, and his eyes sparkled with annoyance.

'That's enough!' Tseng stood up and pointed towards the door. 'Reno. I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Leader, everybody knows you liked Aeris. What's the problem? You like Toshi, yo, is that it?'

'Of course I don't.' he answered abruptly, quickly dismissing any thoughts his colleague might have. 'Aside from the fact that she's emotionless, I know nothing about her. In fact, Reno, you know, we only met her today. You're so dim.' He pressed his hand to his forehead, his annoyance having disappeared. Instead, he felt amused at Reno's idiocy and let out a small snort of laughter. 'Honestly, Reno, your problems with her are totally irrational. Now get outta here.' He began shuffling the papers in front on him, remembering that he had work to do. Reno nodded silently, resting his electromagnetic rod on his shoulder as he turned to leave.

'Oh and, Reno?' Tseng called one last thing to Reno as he left. 'Why d'you carry that rod everywhere with you? I'm not going to attack you.'

'No, Leader,' Reno agreed, but then added under his breath, 'but that red-haired bitch might.'

**---x---**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Comments on how I can improve are appreciated :)**

**Chapter 3 coming soon! x**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Aside from Tseng himself, Toshi was the first Turk to arrive at the Shinra building in Junon the following day. Inclining her head slightly, her greeting was short and sharp, as though she had no time for formalities.

'Tseng.' The two Turks were barely acquainted, yet Toshi did not show as much deference to her superior as the other Turks did. She did not refer to him as 'Leader', unlike Reno and Rude, but Tseng did not bother correcting her. He had decided he was going to try and create a civil relationship between them; he did not want to work with a woman he did not get along with for the foreseeable future.

'Toshi,' he returned her greeting, his voice softer than hers. 'How are you?' The woman looked up at him and raised her eyebrows. Tseng was merely thankful she hadn't snorted scornfully.

'Fine,' her answer was just as cold as everything she said, and she did not return his question even out of politeness. 'Reno and Rude are late.'

'Not really,' Tseng told her, glancing at his watch. 'You're a little early.'

'Whatever.' Toshi had already taken her place at the table, drumming her fingers on it impatiently.

'Where's your uniform?' Tseng's eyes scanned Toshi; she was wearing the suit jacket as she had been told, but her black skirt and knee-high boots remained instead of the trousers she had been given.

'Have you seen Reno's clothing recently?' Toshi replied defensively. 'I told you, I'm not wearing those trousers.' She pursed her lips and turned her attention back to her paper and pen. Tseng sighed, wondering if he would ever gain complete control over her. Technically, she had to do as he told her, but he wondered how much his authority would extend over her. He had the feeling it would be a while before she listened to what he told her.

'Leader,' Reno's voice alerted him to the fact that the remaining two Turks had arrived.

'Reno, sort the shirt.' Toshi raised her eyebrows and looked at Tseng, the corners of her mouth twisted slightly as she tried her best to not smile.

'Huh?' Reno's eyes flickered over his own uniform; he wore the same clothes as Rude and Tseng, but his shirt wasn't tucked in and his suit jacket was unfastened. He shrugged and half-heartedly plucked at his baggy shirt, shaking his head slightly. 'Whatever, Leader.' He and Rude took their places at the table, Reno next to Toshi and Rude on the other side of him. Toshi inclined her head at him silently, her hand still frantically scribbling something across her paper. Reno eyes flickered to her skirt and boots, and he narrowed his eyes at Tseng.

'You tell me off for an untucked shirt, but she-'

'Shut up,' it was not Tseng that spoke, but Toshi herself. Reno shut his mouth, unable to argue, for she had authority over both him and Rude.

'So,' Toshi continued, her eyes on Tseng. 'What are we doing?' Reno and Rude also turned to face their leader, awaiting their next commands.

'We're off up to the Northern Crater again,' he told them, averting his eyes from them all. 'Rufus wants us to have one last attempt at finding any remnants of Jenova, we can't have anybody else get hold of it.'

'But, Boss, last time-'

'I know perfectly well what happened last time, Reno,' his voice was stern and the look he gave his colleague silenced him instantly. 'But we have no choice. If the resistance group get their hands on it...' he stopped, frowning as he worked out a strategy in their heads. 'Myself, Toshi and Rude will go in to investigate,' he decided. 'Reno, the chopper's yours.'

***

'Well, that went better than expected,' Reno laughed as his three colleagues returned unscathed. 'I thought one of you would get gravely injured, at least.' After a few moments of silence he realised that his humour was wasted on the others, and he continued. 'Find anything?'

'No,' replied Tseng. 'I don't know what happened to the Jenova remains. Elena and I found nothing apart from the head when we went two years ago, and last time was unsuccessful too; I don't think there's anything else to be found down there.' He glanced sideways and turned his attention to Toshi.

'Are you okay?' he asked with a slight frown. She seemed even paler than usual; the little colour she usually had in her face had drained away.

'Fine. one word reassured Tseng that she was perfectly healthy; her voice was as cold as it usually was. After a moment, she continued speaking. 'So, that's where...' she broke off, and Tseng looked at her again, confused by her unusual display of emotion.

'Yes,' he answered her. 'Why? I didn't think you could care.' His voice sounded harsher than he had intended and he immediately tried to apologise. 'I'm so-'

'Don't be,' she cut him off, anticipating what he was going to say. 'I didn't know Elena, so I can't say I care that she's dead.' She spoke bluntly, but Tseng knew what she meant; it was impossible to mourn somebody who she had not known.

'However,' she continued, 'I knew her sister.' Tseng looked up, surprised.

'What?' he could not keep the shock from his voice. He remembered Elena's sister, the skilled, blonde woman whom Elena had bared a striking resemblance to. She had been part of the Turks up until Cloud and Zack had escaped from Nibelheim, and the Turks had very nearly been disbanded and assassinated. After that, only Tseng, Reno and Rude had remained, with Elena joining them shortly afterwards; Tseng had then discovered that she had not joined before because of her deep resentment towards her sister.

'I knew her sister,' Toshi repeated, 'she was the one that got me a place in the Shinra academy...' she tailed off, biting her nails once more. 'I owe her more than anything,' she continued, 'but I never saw her again after that.'

'So...' Tseng began to talk to her again after a moment, deciding that he would try and take advantage of her unusually talkative state. 'Midgar was destroyed four years ago. How did you get back in contact with Shinra after all of that time?'

'None of your business,' Toshi snapped, her sharp voice indicating that she was back to her normal self. 'Hey, we're back in Junon,' she added, looking out of the helicopter window. She stood up without another word and leapt from the chopper as it descended, with Tseng following shortly after. He watched her as she walked away, frowning, unsure whether he would ever truly know her.

**---x---**

**I'm quite proud of this chapter, but it's a little shorter than the others :) **

**Please review it! I want to know how I can improve, and let me know if you like it! **

**Char x**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

'So, Leader,' Reno addressed Tseng as soon as he entered to the room with Rude. 'What's our next job? I haven't been out in months, yo, I'm getting bored.'

'Well, aren't you lucky,' Tseng replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 'We've had reports of a disturbance in the ruins of Midgar, sectors zero and five.'

'The old Shinra building?' Reno sounded astounded. 'I know we've had trouble there before, with Deepground, but that was two years ago. I thought it was empty now...' he tailed off, frowning thoughtfully.

'Obviously not,' sighed Tseng. 'I've no idea what we're going to find, but be on your guard. Toshi and I will go to sector zero-'

'Takin' Toshi with you, are ya?' Reno sounded faintly amused, and Rude sniggered in agreement. Toshi raised her eyebrows; she had long given up trying to rebuke Reno.

'Fine,' she cut in, smirking slightly. 'You and I, Reno, will take sector five. Rude and Tseng can take zero.'

'But me 'n' Rude always-'

'Sounds good to me. We'll leave tomorrow.' Tseng interrupted Reno's protest, and the red-haired Turk leant back on his chair, glowering. Tseng stood up abruptly and made his way to his office, shutting the door quietly behind him. Reno glared at his new work partner, who met his gaze.

'That's what you get,' she told him, 'for being an idiot.' She bent over her notebook once more and began to write. Before long, Reno had found his voice again.

'What are you writing?' he asked her.

'God, do you never shut up?' she retorted sharply. 'If you must know, Rufus gave me some background on you last night. I'm writing it down for reference.'

'Like what?'

'Stuff on the Sephiroth case, and you three.' She gestured at Reno and Rude, and then at Tseng's office. 'You're all very... interesting.'

Reno's response was a slightly nervous laugh, for he was not sure if she was making fun of him or not.

'Wait!' he exclaimed. 'You mean, you've been here five months, and you still don't know this stuff?' Reno sounded almost amused, but Toshi only responded with a shrug.

After a couple of minutes of just watching his new superior, Reno excused himself and made his way over to Tseng's office.

'Ah, Reno. I wanted to talk to you actually. What's wrong with you? You been acting funny since Toshi joined, snappy, less laid-back.' But Reno didn't answer, and when he spoke it was only to ask a question of his own.

'Leader, why'd you do this to me, yo?'

'Do what, Reno?' Sounding bored, Tseng looked back at the file he was reading; Reno peered at it and saw it was a report on Deepground, the secret military unit uncovered a about a year ago, based underneath the old Shinra building in Midgar.

'Let Toshi make me go with her!'

'Well, you only have yourself to blame for that.' Tseng sounded stern, and Reno knew better than to try and push him any further. Tseng looked up at him and continued, his voice softening. 'Look, I'm still not sure why Rufus appointed her either,' he admitted with a slight shrug, 'but antagonising her will not help you. You should know that by now.'

Reno inclined his head politely before leaving. He was not entirely satisfied with Tseng's response, for it seemed already that Toshi had the same authority over them as Tseng did, and she had only been working with them for a matter of months.

'Reno,' Tseng called after him. 'Send Toshi in here, will you?'

'Sure.'

Tseng sat at his desk, frowning. He himself was wondering why he let Toshi order his Turks around like she did. Throughout the five months they had worked together she had revealed so little about herself; they had barely had a conversation since she told him that she had known Elena's sister. Surprisingly, he had come to trust her, too; although she was cold, she took her job seriously which gave him some comfort. However, Tseng knew there must be a reason behind her coldness and he was determined to discover it.

'Tseng,' her ever-emotionless voice brought him back from his thoughts. 'What do you want?'

'Ah, Toshi,' now that she was in his office, he was unsure as to what to say to her. 'When we go to Midgar tomorrow, be careful,' he warned her. 'The sector five slums are danger-'

'I've been there before,' she interrupted. 'What's the big deal?'

'It's nothing,' Tseng sighed, resigning himself to the fact that Toshi did not appreciate any concern anybody showed for her. She turned away without saying another word before he had dismissed her, and begun to walk towards the exit.

'Toshi,' his voice was sharp as he began to grow annoyed at her rudeness. His frustration was not helped by the fact that she did not even turn to face him, she simply turned her head sideways and looked at him through one eye. 'You will accompany myself, Reno and Rude out tonight. We're going to a bar in Junon town-'

'I told you,' Toshi cut him off, almost sneering. 'I won't get close to my colleagues-'

'It's an order.' Tseng told her firmly. 'I'm not having you and Reno arguing all the time, it's doing my head in. Talking will do you good.' Toshi raised her eyebrows at him, but before she could open her mouth to argue, Tseng stopped her.

'No buts. We'll go straight after work.'

**---x---**

**Quick update again, like I said I have written the whole thing so as soon as they're beta-read and re-edited, they'll be uploaded! **

**Quite a short chapter again as well, but there's a few longer ones to come!**

**Please review :) **

**Char x**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

'Tseng,' Toshi said agitatedly through gritted teeth, 'remind me, why am I here with you?'

'I told you,' replied Tseng in a low voice. 'You and Reno need to talk to each other. You've got to work together tomorrow.' He nudged her in the back and she stumbled forward, glancing back at her boss with fire in her eyes. Tseng smirked; he could not deny that he found her lack of social skills somewhat amusing. He watched for a moment as Reno began to talk to her, but he was soon distracted by Rude, who came to sit with him.

'Leader.' His fellow Turk nodded politely at him, with a glass in his hand. Rude was a quiet man, and he sat at the bar as silent as usual as he and Tseng downed their drinks.

Tseng's attention was drawn back to Reno and Toshi as a piercing scream echoed throughout the room. Immediately he could guess what had happened; Toshi had raised her glass to throw her drink over Reno, but he had struck the glass before she had managed it and it had shattered in her hand.

The woman yelped in pain, as a wide-eyed Reno stepped back, looking around him as though he wanted to find a place to hide. Tseng sighed, stepping between the two, who were glaring at each other as though one was going to fly at the other at any second.

'Right,' he said, his voice commanding. 'Toshi, with me. Reno, go and get another drink... Barmaid, do you have bandages?' he added, glancing at Toshi's heavily bleeding hand. The woman nodded and handed him a small green box, gesturing towards a room behind the bar.

'Go through,' she suggested, and Tseng nodded in thanks as he led Toshi through by her uninjured hand, surprised that she was not making a bigger effort to resist. He gave her a small shove and she fell onto the sofa behind her with a slight thud.

'What was that all about?' he asked furiously, taking her injured hand and examining it. He pulled a few of the glass shards out and was met with a hiss of pain; she quickly withdrew her hand, but soon recognised that she needed help in removing all of the glass embedded in her skin.

'He's so irritating,' she spat, 'how can you put up with that?' Her eyes sparkled with anger, and Tseng couldn't help but wonder what Reno had said to put her in such a state.

'I've worked with him for over ten years,' Tseng laughed. 'You learn to live with it. But what was he saying?' Toshi averted her eyes, staring at the floor intently.

'He was annoying me, saying that you and I were... well... what on Gaia have you been saying to him?' she demanded to know.

'Nothing!' countered Tseng, shaking his head. 'I don't know where Reno gets his ideas from,' he sighed, before continuing to remove glass from Toshi's hand.

'Shit,' she mumbled, her face contorted with pain. 'How am I gonna hold my gun?' She looked down at her bloodied hand in despair.

'It'll be alright,' reassured Tseng. 'Might be a little sore in Midgar tomorrow.'

'Hmm.' Toshi sounded distant, her eyes fixed on a single point on the ceiling. After a few moments, she spoke again. 'I've had these pistols since before Elena's sister first found me,' she told him. 'The first thing she ever saw me do was shoot somebody. I thought she was going to arrest me, but she just complimented me.' She gave a small snort of laughter, shaking her head.

Tseng continued to bandage her hand, admittedly confused as to why she had suddenly decided to tell him this. But he did not interrupt her; instead, he felt an odd sense of happiness that she was talking to him in a voice that was not void of emotion.

'In Wutai,' she continued, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, 'I was taught how to wield a shuriken. But I was never any good at it.' She paused once more, as if she was uncertain about continuing; Tseng was relieved when she spoke again. 'Somebody threw one at me when I was fourteen, and it hit me directly in the face.' She lowered her eyes to meet his. 'If you ever wondered where the scar on my lip came from, that's how it happened. I can't see properly out of my left eye either. Half of my world is a blur.' She sighed, and Tseng opened his mouth to speak, thinking she had finished. To his surprise, she carried on before he could get any words out.

'My mother told me I was useless and my shuriken lessons stopped. I believed her, too, until...' she tailed off, an absent smile upon her face. 'He was only visiting Wutai, and he introduced himself as a member of the Turks.'

'You said you knew nothing about us...' Tseng couldn't help but interrupt, but he quickly stopped, hoping that he had not put her off talking any more, but still she continued.

'He wielded two pistols, and he taught me to do the same...' her uninjured hand instinctively curved over one of her pistols around her waist, and she gave a soft sigh. 'He told me that you only need one good eye to be a great aim with these... he was the first person to really talk to me, and to listen to what I had to say.' She hesitated, and Tseng braced himself; but when she spoke, her voice was still soft.

'He was only there a week and he would not tell me his name... he told me he would come back to Wutai to see me, but he never did.' She lowered her gaze to the floor, her eyes now fixed on a point near Tseng's feet.

'A year later, mother died, and I went to Midgar. I had nothing left in Wutai and...' she shifted uncomfortably, 'well, I knew the Turks were based there. I thought that maybe I would see the mysterious 'two guns' again. But, I never did.' she sighed, biting her nails on her uninjured hand.

'Tell me, Tseng,' she said, raising her eyes to his once more. 'What happened to him? You must know.'

It was Tseng's turn to avert his eyes from Toshi, for he could barely bring himself to tell her the truth.

'He left the Turks four years ago,' he told her. 'There was an incident, and the Turks were nearly disbanded and assassinated... but Rufus managed to stop the old president. However, only Rude, Reno and I were left.' He paused, postponing the truth for as long as he possibly could. 'Reno found him dying in the slums of sector four a few weeks later. We don't know what happened, but we couldn't save him...' he tailed off, staring at the floor. 'I'm sorry.'

'I see.' Toshi sounded distant, her eyes glazing over. 'I joined the academy in the hope of seeing him again. I had been in Midgar for a year, I was losing hope... when the man I shot tried to attack me, I lost it and aimed my pistols at him. And then, when Midgar was destroyed, I quit Shinra, thinking that the company would collapse anyway. I had failed to find the man I wanted, and he had failed me... he never came back. I vowed to never let myself be reeled in by anybody again.' She tailed off and fell into silence, sitting still like a statue on the sofa.

'He spoke of going to Wutai...' Tseng was almost whispering as he recalled the actions of his old colleague. 'But a couple of our other Turks were injured, and we were so busy with work in those days, that Veld wouldn't let him go.' Toshi did not speak to him, she merely stared at him, expressionless. 'So,' continued Tseng uncertainly, 'that's why you won't get close to anybody, even as friends-'

'_That,_' hissed Toshi, 'and the fact that the last Turk that was stupid enough to like you died because of it.' Her last word was a snarl; it had suddenly seemed to dawn on Toshi that Tseng was still holding on to her hand, despite having finished bandaging it a few minutes earlier. She jerked it away sharply and leapt up off the sofa as though she had been electrocuted; before Tseng could reply, she moved quickly towards the door back through to the bar.

He watched her leave, confused again as to why she had opened up to him, just to change back to her usual emotionless self. Quietly, he called out to her as she walked through the door.

'I knew you couldn't tell me your life story in two minutes.' But she gave no indication that she had heard him, and she mumbled something Rude and Reno at the bar before exiting, leaving Tseng alone with his thoughts.

**---x---**

**So, I'm pretty proud of this chapter as well :) **

**Please, review and tell me how I can improve. **

**Next chapter in a couple of days! **

**Char x**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

An awkward silence immediately fell over the four Turks as they boarded the helicopter, piloted by Reno. Tseng sat in the front seat beside him, with Toshi and Rude in the seats behind.

'Right,' announced Tseng eventually, 'as far as I'm aware, there are a small number of people that still live in sectors one, two, three and four. The sector seven plate was destroyed before Midgar was hit by Meteor, and the plates for sectors six and eight have since gone down. The sector five plate is said to be so unstable that it could fall and crush the slums at any time, so it'll be dangerous.' He paused momentarily, catching his breath. 'Change of plan. Reno and I will take sector five. Toshi and Rude, you can take the old Shinra building-'

'If this has anything to do with me being unable to handle the dangers of sector five-' Toshi began angrily.

'No,' he replied sternly. 'I just don't think you and Reno together is a good idea.'

The helicopter fell into silence once more, and the four Turks sat totally still until Reno called out.

'Yo, I can see Midgar! Been a while... man, it's like goin' home.'

The helicopter flew over Edge, the city that had since been established on the outskirts of the Midgar ruins. They began their descent when they reached the entrance to the Shinra building, and Tseng surveyed the area, calling out to Reno.

'Right, Reno, it'll be easier for us to climb down the rubble of the collapsed sector six plate, and leave the helicopter here. There's nowhere closer that we can land it.' Reno nodded in agreement, impatiently flicking his electromagnetic rod which he used as a weapon.

'I hope we find someone down there,' he muttered to himself. 'This hasn't been used in a while...'

'Come on, Reno,' Tseng's stern voice interrupted his thoughts. 'Let's go. Toshi, Rude, good luck. And, be careful, floors sixty-five and upwards are unstable; they're the ones that got blasted by Sapphire Weapon four years ago.'

Rude nodded, mumbling a goodbye to Reno, but Toshi was already making her way towards the entrance of the derelict building and she gave absolutely no sign that she had heard Tseng's warning. Rude sighed as he began to follow her; he had rarely worked alongside anybody other than Reno, and he very much hoped the new pairing of him and Toshi would not last long. He, personally, had nothing against the younger Turk, but he could not deny that she had made quite an impression on Reno, and not in a good way. He was more agitated than he ever had been; the two of them naturally did not get along.

***

'Hmm...' Tseng murmured quietly. 'Been a while. Aeris' church is looking a little shabby... doesn't look like even Cloud's been here for a long time.'

'Yo, Leader,' called Reno to him. He turned to look and his gaze flickered to where Reno was pointing at; on the wall of a half-collapsed building, something hung on the wall. It seemed remarkably out of place; unlike everything else in sector five, it was not tattered or broken. As Tseng went to examine it, Reno moved away to inspect another building.

'Hmm, that's funny,' observed Tseng. 'It's an old Shinra Power Company poster, but it looks pristine. I wonder if they put it up to tell us they're here...' His attention was suddenly drawn to the unstable plate above him; it groaned and screamed as if it were in pain.

Reno examined the remains of an old caravan, frowning. So far, the poster had been the only sign that anybody had been in sector five for weeks, maybe even months. Had the people that still lived in sector four imagined the disturbances?

'Materia...' he whispered, catching sight of a glowing green orb. Reaching out to take it, he was surprised when his hand was slapped away.

'Tseng, what-' he glanced up and gave a small gasp of shock as an unfamiliar face stared back at him, aiming a gun directly between the Turk's eyes.

'No, I'm not Tseng.' The man's voice was rough and scratchy, and he wore a twisted smirk upon his face. 'I'm part of the resistance group that killed that girl of yours. Well, the leader of it...'

'You... killed Elena?' Tseng's cold voice distracted the man, and he swung around, the gun twitching slightly in his hand. Reno tried to grab it, but he held on tightly; the red-haired Turk succeeded only in directing the pistol at the plate above, and the man's finger quickly squeezed the trigger.

A loud bang echoed throughout sector five, and Tseng thought for a moment that Reno had been shot. Then another groan from the plate above him told him otherwise, and small pieces of rubble began to rain down on them.

Tseng's eyes widened as he saw that the man had aimed his pistol at Reno once more. Without a second thought he grabbed the man by the throat, pulling him to the ground and aiming his own pistol at the man's temple. But it was the other man's gun that exploded, again, and the plate gave a final scream of agony.

'Dammit!' Tseng yelled. 'You idiot! You must have shot one of the supporting cables...' Shaking his head, he realised Reno was still with him. 'Reno, run!' he screeched. 'It's going to come down!'

'Leader, I can't leave you!'

'I've got to hold this guy here! It's an order, Reno, leave!'

Reluctantly, Reno turned and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, as the plate above him began to come crashing down. He made it out just in time; as he reached the sector five and six border gate, the plate's moans were finally silenced as it fell into the slums below with a deafening crash.

***

'Hmm, been a while,' Toshi mumbled half to herself, as she and Rude entered the desolate Shinra building. Her senses were sharp and she kept her ears and eyes wide open, waiting for signs of the reported disturbance, but the building remained silent as she and Rude ascended the many flights of stairs. She kept her uninjured hand on one of the pistols tucked into the gun holster around her waist, ready to draw it at the first sign of movement.

They soon reached floor sixty five, although to Toshi it seemed to take much longer because she was used to using lifts as apposed to stairs. Tseng had been right; glancing around floor sixty five she could see that some of the outside wall had collapsed inwards. She shivered as a wave of cold air washed over her, before walking over to the steps leading up to the next floor. Gingerly, she tried climbing a few to see if they would support her weight, and she gestured to Rude to follow her once she was certain that they could.

The sixty-sixth floor was even worse than the previous one; rubble littered the floor and she found herself smiling slightly, mildly impressed that Rufus had survived the impact four years ago despite it having destroyed so much of the upper building.

A sudden movement at the side of the room caught her eye; in a heartbeat, she had drawn both pistols and fired them in the direction of it. A moment later, she gave a gasp and one of the pistols fell from her injured hand as she clasped it to her chest, her face contorted with pain. She tucked the other away and picked it up, embarrassed, and turned back to find that Rude had walked over to examine the place where she had spotted the movement; he now held up the thing that she had shot.

'A rat,' she hissed exasperatedly. 'Rude, let's go.' Her teeth were clamped together and she was unable to keep the annoyance from her voice. 'We might as well go and find the others, since there's obviously nothing here.' Rude nodded and followed her back down the many flights of stairs in silence.

Toshi sighed as they emerged through the main doors to the Shinra building.

'Well, wasn't that a waste of time?' she said to Rude, who could only nod in agreement. She rolled her eyes at his silence. 'Let's go find Tseng and Reno,' she added, beginning to walk away from the tall building.

Hesitating as they got closer to sector six, she turned back to Rude.

'Does the sector five plate look... different to you?' She frowned, and before Rude could open his mouth to answer, she responded to her own question. 'No... it must just be my imagination. I must be seeing it from a different angle... more of it must have come down than I thought.'

She almost stumbled as they made their way down the rubble of the sector six plate, the same route as the other Turks had taken. It was eerily quiet, the only noise being the occasional creaks of the old, damaged metal. Then, in the distance, Toshi thought she heard Reno's voice, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

'Reno?' Rude called out, evidently having heard it too. The far away shouting stopped, to be replaced by the sound of quick footsteps that grew louder rapidly. Toshi drew one of her pistols in case they were mistaken about the identity of the person approaching.

'Rude! Toshi!' Reno came flying towards them, panting as he tried to catch his breath.

'What happened?' Toshi asked. 'Reno, what happened?'

'Later,' he told her urgently. 'Right now, Tseng's trapped under half of the sector five plate.'

**---x---**

**Quick update, but my beta reader is being pretty fast! **

**Please review it :) **

**Char x**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Toshi stared at the mixture of metal and stone that now blocked the gate from sector six to sector five. Her mouth was open in disbelief and her eyes were wide and had glazed over.

'Toshi...?' Reno said uncertainly, watching her cautiously.

'Tseng...' she whispered, ignoring Reno, before placing her hands against the metal gently. Then, without warning, she began to pull at it frantically, clawing at it as if she were an animal.

'Toshi!' yelled Reno, trying to pull her hand away. 'What are you doing?'

'What does it look like?' she said, her eyes wide. 'I've got to get to Tseng!'

'Don't,' warned Reno. 'The plate, it came down with such force, I think Tseng...' He paused momentarily, his voice strained. 'I don't think he'd want us to go in after him. Not after what happened to Elena...' To his surprise, Toshi responded with a snort of disgust.

'He's not dead,' she said stubbornly. The wildness faded from her eyes and was replaced with a different emotion, one that Reno was unable to recognise. 'He can't be...' she added, under her breath. Again, she turned toward the wrecked metal, but she did not grab at it.

'Step back,' she told Reno and Rude calmly. 'This could be big.' She took a pistol from the holster around her waist and took aim at a pipe that was slightly exposed; almost immediately, the barrier of metal exploded, throwing Toshi back. She grunted as she collided with Reno, knocking them both to the floor, before touching her hand to her face.

'Dammit,' she mumbled, inspecting the blood on her fingers. 'Another scar...' Remembering her original objective, she was delighted to see that the barrier had been destroyed. However, beyond that she could see only scrap metal and pieces of fallen buildings; no sign of Tseng, or anything else for that matter. Nervously, she approached the entrance, determined to find the leader of the Turks.

'Erm, Toshi,' murmured Reno. 'Why are you... I mean, you could be killed.'

'Because,' replied Toshi coldly, 'he is my boss, and I am doing my job. Maybe you should help me instead of giving up so readily!'

Reluctantly, Reno followed Toshi through the opening but Rude remained standing in the same spot. After a few paces, Reno stopped again, and Toshi turned to face him angrily.

'Hurry up.'

'Toshi, this is pointless,' he insisted. 'We shouldn't risk our lives-'

'Reno, I'm your superior. Do as I tell you.' Her voice was calmer, but her eyes burned with rage.

'We both know you shouldn't be,' Reno argued. 'You took my job!'

Toshi's nostrils flared and she drew breath sharply, struggling to keep her temper under control.

'Fine,' she hissed through gritted teeth. 'Wait for us here. I'll go alone.' Reno and Rude watched her as she was swallowed by a mixture of darkness and dust, suddenly unsure if they would see their leader or his deputy again.

'Why did she go...?' Reno said quietly. Rude only shrugged in reply, remaining silent as they listened for any signs of life within the ruins.

***

Toshi made her way deeper into the sector five ruins, her vision obscured by the dust, created by the plate's fall, that had not yet settled. As usual, she kept her uninjured hand close by one of her weapons as she did so. There was an adequate amount of light shining through the dust for her to see where she was going; in fact, with no plate above it blocking the light, the slum of sector five was probably more well-lit than it had ever been. Her worry for her boss began to grow as she realised she was heading too deep into the slums; soon she would reach sector four.

Sighing as she started to double back on herself, she began to think that Reno had been right in saying that Tseng was no longer alive. Glancing around, she could only see ruins of buildings, piles of rubble and the remnants of the large metal pillar that had once served as the main support for the sector five plate.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of something that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the destroyed area. The light reflected off it oddly, and at first she thought it was just material, the remains of somebody's old clothes. As she inspected it, she discovered it was a clump of hair, silky and black. At once she realised that it was the hair of her boss, the long, straight hair that reached almost as far as the base of his spine. A wave of relief washed over her and she tugged at it and it did not come free, telling her that Tseng himself must be buried under the pile of rubble; it didn't take her long to move the metal off of his face and torso. Blood trickled from a gash in his forehead and his eyes were closed, but Toshi could see from the weak rise and fall of his chest that he was still alive.

She grasped his arms and pulled him gently back, trying to free his legs. Once she had finally released him, she lay him down on the ground nearby, giving his shoulders a tender shake.

'Tseng!' she shouted. 'Wake up!' She suppressed a smile when she saw him begin to stir.

'Toshi...?' He sounded groggy, and Toshi realised his head wound was worse than she had first thought; his suit was stained and his usually-immaculate hair was matted with his blood.

'Yes, Tseng, it's me.' She spoke softly, but worked hard to keep the feeling in her voice to a minimum.

'Thanks...' Tseng gave a slight smile as his eyes closed again as he let out an exhausted sigh. Toshi realised that she would have to carry him, for he was not fit to walk even with her as support. She bent down and pulled him by his arms over her shoulders, holding them close to her neck as she stood up, before grabbing his legs tightly. Feeling his head resting against her shoulder, her first thought was one of dread at what Reno would say when he saw them - she was sure he would come up with some irritating jibe. Almost immediately she shook her head; whatever loss of dignity Tseng would suffer by being carried on her back, it was surely better than being left to die in the ruins of Midgar.

The return walk seemed a lot further than the way she had come in, but that was probably due to having an added weight on her back. Eventually, she approached the place where she had argued with Reno; when she spotted him and Rude, she was half surprised to see that they had waited for her.

'How-' began Reno, clearly astounded that she had successfully located Tseng, but Toshi stopped him.

'Later. Help me get him in the helicopter,' she ordered. 'We need to get him to the Shinra medical department in Junon.'

'He's still alive?' Reno sounded even more surprised at this, having assumed that Toshi had merely found Tseng's body.

'Yes,' she snapped. 'But he won't be for much longer if he doesn't get to Junon!'

***

'Toshi?' The sound of Tseng's voice woke the female Turk up; she had been dozing in the chair beside his bed for about half an hour.

'Toshi... thank you.' Tseng smiled at her, but she remained unresponsive. After a few moments, she cleared her throat.

'Yes. Well. Now that you're awake, I'd best be off.'

'Wait, Toshi. Why did you... why did you go in and find me?'

'Would you have preferred it if I had left you to die?' Her voice was unnaturally calm, her eyebrows raised.

'No, but-'

'I did it,' she continued, cutting Tseng off. 'Only because you are my boss. A valuable asset to the team.'

'Toshi, when I'm out of here,' Tseng said as she began to walk towards the door. 'How about we go for dinner somewhere? There are some nice places in Junon.'

'I told you,' she sighed, without turning back to look at him as she spoke. 'I'm not here to make friends.' Walking out of the door, she greeted the Shinra doctor on her way, the heels of her boots echoing down the corridor as she went back to the Turks' office. Tseng could only watch as she left, wondering how long he would be off work, hoping that Toshi could command enough respect from Reno to hold the Turks together in his absence.

**---x---**

**So, another update!**

**Please read and review :) I'd love to know how I can improve.**

**I'm currently working on a couple of other fics, so any writing guidance is appreciated. **

**Char x  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

'Reno, how's Toshi doing in charge?' Tseng sat up in bed, constantly fidgeting because of his urge to get out of his bed and back to work. 'Please don't tell me that all you do is fight.' Reno snorted in disgust before replying.

'She's... well, it's not too bad,' he admitted. 'She's been better recently, but sort of... distracted. I would ask if something's bothering her, but...' He looked away sheepishly before finishing. 'But she scares me.'

'Hmm... distracted?' He tried to keep the concern from his voice, and was thankful when Reno seemed not to notice, replying in his usual tone.

'Yeah. Anyway, how long's it gonna be 'till you're back? I know I said she's not bad but it just isn't right without you, yo!'

'Mmm,' murmured Tseng, frowning slightly. 'Erm, I think I'm back in the office tomorrow, but I can't go on assignment with you for a couple more weeks. Not that we've had much to do recently, compared to what it was like a few years ago.'

'Ah, ok,' Reno jumped up from his seat and made his way towards the door. 'I'd best be off now, though. Lots of... erm, paperwork to do.'

Tseng sighed, frustrated at the fact that he was not able to work. His recuperation reminded him of the injuries he sustained in the Temple of the Ancients four years previously, when he had been stabbed by Sephiroth. The period following that had been long and tedious as he had rested, and he was not looking forward to repeating the process.

Gazing out of the window of the infirmary, he could faintly make out the buildings of the Costa del Sol in the distance. Beyond that, he knew, was Wutai, the birthplace of himself and Toshi. She did not know that he was from the same town as her; it had been a long time since he had set foot there and he had severed all connections with the place, choosing to work for Shinra despite Wutai being at war with them. Because of this, there was no reason to tell her, for his birthplace was now irrelevant; his home was Shinra.

He sighed again as he thought of Toshi. She had not been anywhere near the infirmary since he had regained consciousness to find her beside him a week beforehand; he desperately wanted to ask her if she knew what had happened to the man he had been fighting with when the plate fell down on them both. He could not deny that he also wanted a chance to talk to her again; her fluctuation in moods both intrigued and confused him, and he hoped that someday soon he would catch her in a good mood once more.

***

'Hmm...' Toshi flicked through the files she had been handed by Reno, sitting at Tseng's desk in the side room off the main Turk office. The view from the room was one of the sea and she, too, could see the Costa del Sol, for the office was two stories directly above the infirmary.

'What?' she exclaimed quietly to herself. 'The location of the rebel group... confirmed by the inhabitants of Midgar to be sector four?' She looked through the door out into the other room; Reno was chatting animatedly to Rude, who watched his colleague attentively, occasionally nodding. Toshi found the pair of them amusing to watch.

'I hate to break up the conversation,' she said as she strode into the room. 'But Reno, you and I are off to Midgar sector four, to check out the hideout of the anti-Shinra group.'

'What, right now?' Reno groaned. 'But I'm due my lunch break in ten minutes, and Tseng is due back in about an hour. Let's wait to see what he says-'

'Reno,' Toshi cut in sharply. 'I am in charge until he returns, so you will do as I tell you. Just do it.' Grumbling to himself, Reno reluctantly followed Toshi out of the door, leaving Rude to look through some paperwork.

'The only reason I brought you,' Toshi told him as they approached the helicopter, 'is because I can't fly this thing.'

'Huh, nice to feel appreciated, boss.' his last word was mocking as he clambered into the helicopter before Toshi, his teeth clenched in annoyance. He regretted every sarcastic comment he had made about Elena; he would take her chattiness of Toshi's lack of emotion any day.

The two of them sat together in total silence on the journey to Midgar, each of them tense with pursed lips. At first glance, they did not look like Turks; Reno's scruffy, untucked shirt and Toshi's lack of full uniform could prove useful whilst trying to locate the anti-Shinra group. They would find it easier to blend into the crowd.

Once they had landed on the sector four plate, they scanned their surroundings, looking for the best way to get down to the slums below.

'Huh,' muttered Reno. 'Maybe we ought to have landed outside and gone in through the sector four slum gate...'

'Maybe,' agreed Toshi. 'but if we can find an alternate route in we'll draw less attention to ourselves.'

'Hey, I know what,' said Reno. 'When we were looking for AVALANCHE, we dropped the sector seven plate on them,' he told her. 'Maybe we could-'

'Rufus told me about that,' she sneered, 'and how it was so successful that you still had to chase that group halfway across the world.' The sarcasm in her voice made Reno clench his teeth to prevent himself from retorting sharply.

'I guess you're right.' he forced himself to agree politely. Although she had risked her life to save Tseng, he still found in difficult to trust her and kept one hand firmly on his electromagnetic rod.

Toshi pointed to a staircase that she spotted in the centre of the plate, which seemed to go all the way down the pillar supporting the plate.

'Does that go to the bottom?' she asked, already walking towards it. Reno followed her automatically.

'Yeah, it does,' he answered. 'The plate released controls are just down there as well, so the staircase is fenced off at the base of the pillar. We should be able to break through though.'

'Well, let's go,' Toshi decided, beginning to remove her blue suit jacket.

'What are you doing?' Reno asked, confused.

'The less we look like Turks, the less likely we are to attract attention,' she explained. 'Since I don't wear the trousers, without this jacket I'm wearing my own clothes.

'What about me?'

'Well...' Toshi said, her eyes sweeping up and down Reno's body. 'You just look scruffy. Nobody that doesn't already know you can tell you're a professional.'

Before Reno had a chance to defend himself, she had begun her descent down the long staircase. He sighed, having no choice but to follow her, and he did so reluctantly. On his way down, he remembered the last time he had been down one of the plate support pillars; four years ago, when he had pressed the button approving the destruction of the entire sector seven.

***

'Rude,' said Tseng as he set foot in the Turks' office for the first time since his injury. 'Where are Reno and Toshi? Please don't tell me they've killed each other.'

'No, Leader,' Rude replied, shaking his head. 'They've gone to Midgar to try and locate the gang that injured you.'

'They did what?' Tseng exclaimed in disbelief. 'You let them go?'

'I had no power to stop Toshi,' Rude said, looking embarrassed. 'Sorry.'

'We've got to go after them... whoa.' Tseng wobbled as a sudden wave of lightheadedness overpowered him and he stumbled backwards. Rude caught him deftly just before he hit the floor.

'Leader,' he said, his voice serious as he helped Tseng to his feet. 'We'll have to wait. You can't go anywhere like this.' Reluctantly, Tseng nodded in agreement; he knew that Rude was right, but if something happened to Reno or Toshi he knew that he would feel partially responsible for not being there.

**---x---**

**So, another update! Only 5 more chapters after this... **

**Please review! **

**Char x  
**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Toshi surveyed the area around her. She had never been to the sector four slums before, and she was slightly shocked at what she saw, for it was a sorry sight. Many buildings were uninhabited and had been left to fall to ruin, and it was poorly lit due to the plate above obscuring all daylight.

'Excuse me,' the voice of an old woman distracted Toshi and she turned to face her.

'What?'

'Help... my grandson is injured. Won't you help him?'

'Toshi, let's go,' murmured Reno in her ear. 'Don't bother with it, I want to get out of this place as soon as possible.'

'No, Reno, we might find something,' she replied, equally as quietly.

'Like what?'

'Clues, anything, we could ask around about the anti-Shinra group, express our interest in joining...'

'Fine,' sighed Reno. 'Go for it.'

'Of course we'll help,' Toshi said, as she gave old woman a huge, false smile. 'Lead the way.'

The two Turks followed the old woman as she lead them into a small, run-down caravan.

'Just in there,' she croaked, pointing to a side room with a slightly ajar door. But when they entered, the room was empty and a clicking noise behind them told them that the door had just been locked.

'What-' hissed Reno in surprise.

'Shh!' Toshi cut him off, pressing her ear to the keyhole.

'Your payment of five thousand gil, old woman?' The voice was unfamiliar to Toshi; hoarse and scratchy. 'Oh, here it is.' A gunshot rang throughout the caravan; Toshi put her eye to the keyhole instead and saw the old woman lying on the floor, a pool of blood forming around her head.

'We're in trouble,' she whispered, stepping back.

'And whose fault is that?' spat Reno. 'We should have waited for Tseng-' He stopped abruptly as the door opened with another click. As a man entered, Reno's face fell in shock.

'You're alive?' he exclaimed, faced with the man that he and Tseng had encountered in sector five. 'How?'

'Yes,' sneered the man in reply. 'How's that colleague of yours? I didn't quite finish him off before I left...'

'Tseng is fine,' Toshi's voice remained remarkably calm. 'Who are you?'

'Me... hmm.' The man looked genuinely thoughtful and he frowned as though he had been asked an especially difficult question. 'Well, I'm-'

'Actually,' interrupted Reno, stepping in front of Toshi. 'We don't care who you are. How did you know we were going to be here?'

'Well, firstly, the Shinra helicopter was a giveaway.' He laughed airily, continuing after about ten seconds. 'And your appearances are quite... distinctive. Of course, I already knew you,' he explained, pointing at Reno, 'and you, Missy, well, the removal or your uniform cannot disguise that wonderful red hair of yours and oh-so-expressionless face.' He smirked slightly as he noticed Toshi's eyes beginning to burn with rage; she moved forward but Reno pushed her back, beginning to lose his temper.

'Don't you think you've done enough?' he hissed at her. 'You brought us here and then got us caught!' Toshi opened her mouth and closed it again almost immediately, faintly resembling a goldfish. Instead of speaking, she inclined her head and fixed her eyes on the floor, embarrassed.

'My, my,' the man smirked again. 'Infighting, I see. Maybe Shinra will destroy itself without my help.' He chuckled slightly at his own joke.

'What have you got against Shinra?' Reno asked, his voice calmer but sounding puzzled. 'It's not like we're draining the planet of mako any more.'

'No,' the man agreed, 'but you were trying to find Jenova remains. I think I speak for many people in Edge and the ruins of Midgar when I say that we don't want anything to do with Jenova again. My family was killed when Kadaj and the other Sephiroth avatars attacked Edge.' He paused, his eyes darkening. 'This cannot be allowed to happen again!'

'No, you don't understand-' Toshi began to speak, but she stopped with a nervous swallow as the man drew his pistol and pointed it at her head.

'The way I see it,' he sneered, 'is that Shinra messed up Gaia once and if somebody doesn't stop you, you're going to do it all again. I'll be the one to stop you. Me and my gang.'

'Oh really?' Toshi sounded faintly amused, her arrogance coming through in her voice even when she was threatened with death. 'Where is this gang?'

'Funny you should ask,' replied the man softly, his eyes sparkling. A moment later, Toshi felt an excruciating pain to the back of her head, and her world went black.

***

'They've been missing for four days, Rufus,' Tseng explained, his voice solemn. He could not imagine the Turks without Reno, and he didn't want to lose Toshi either. 'Please, Boss, I need your permission for Rude and I-'

'No.' Rufus' answer was blunt, but his voice was tinged with regret. 'Tseng, you're not fit yet. I can't let you risk your life, for I can't lose my best Turk.'

'But-'

'No buts. They may yet turn up. I know Toshi, and she doesn't give up easily.'

'But, Rufus, how do you know her?' Tseng asked, aware of his sudden topic shift. But he finally had a chance to ask his boss something that he had wanted to know for a while; he would not let it pass him by. 'How did you meet her again after so many years? And why was she made a member of the Turks, instead of one of our current academy?' Rufus widened his eyes in surprise before answering.

'She came to me, asking me to take her back, and you must know that the current academy lot don't look very promising,' the president replied with a shrug. 'I didn't really know her when she was a Shinra academy student, but I do remember seeing her practicing once. I mean, who wouldn't recognise hair like that? But anyway, it was obvious she had some skill with those pistols. I wonder who taught her.' He paused, frowning with thought. 'It'll be a shame to lose her and Reno, so soon after Elena's death.'

'And the reason for her being second in command?'

'She has more discipline that Reno, even you must admit that,' reasoned Rufus. 'I thought he could do with a more strict Turk above him.'

'And... is it true you employed her because she wouldn't get close to me?' Tseng couldn't resist challenging his boss. 'It's not like I've gotten close to every female employee, is it? Only Elena...'

'No,' agreed Rufus. 'But ultimately, Elena died because of her feelings for you. And now Toshi's gone missing after going to look for the gang that nearly killed you.' The blonde Shinra president couldn't suppress a smile. 'I guess that tactic didn't work, anyway...'

'What?' Tseng asked, one eyebrow raised in confusion.

'Never mind.'

***

'Hey!' an unfamiliar voice, accompanied by hands shaking her shoulders awoke Toshi. One of the hands felt unnaturally cold; when she opened her eyes, she saw a large, golden-coloured claw was gripping her where the man's hand should have been.

'Who are you?' she asked quickly, sitting up. She saw that Reno was stood behind him, and immediately felt relieved; she had no idea what had happened, but they were obviously no longer in the hands of the gang that had injured Tseng.

'Vincent,' the man replied. 'You Turks, _honestly._' He sounded exasperated, and Toshi soon found out why. 'A couple of years ago I rescued Tseng and Elena from the Northern Crater, and now, you two. I take it you're their newest addition?'

Toshi could only nod in reply, for she was so intrigued by Vincent's appearance. He wore a long, red cape and had black hair that reminded her of Tseng's, only it was much more unkempt. He turned to face Reno.

'How come Tseng and Elena aren't with you? And there's another one, too...'

'Elena's... she's dead,' replied Reno, a hint of sadness in his voice. 'Tseng is recovering from an injury sustained during our last meeting with that gang. And Rude, he just stayed behind.'

'Ah, I see...' Vincent nodded slightly before continuing. 'You know, I found you just outside Midgar. I thought you-' he gestured at Toshi, '-were dead, but you hung in there. You've been out of it for four days.'

'Four days?' gasped Toshi, beginning to panic. 'What if Tseng thinks we're dead?' Remembering his fragile state because of the injury, she shuddered. 'I hope he doesn't go looking for us, though,' she added, and looked down at the floor.

'Where are we?' asked Reno, suddenly aware that they were in an unfamiliar place.

'Kalm, in the inn,' replied Vincent. 'Anyway, I've done what I can do. And Yuffie is waiting for me in Wutai, so I guess I'd best be off.' Without another word, he left the room, his cape blowing in the breeze behind him.

'So, they got together, eh?' he muttered under his breath, before glancing at Toshi; Tseng had told him about the blood that she and the young Wutaian ninja shared.

'Yuffie... she's your sister, isn't she?' he asked after a few moments of silence.

'Ye- wait, how did you know?' Toshi asked, taken aback.

'Tseng told me 'n' Rude,' he replied. 'Do you know her well?'

'Ha,' laughed Toshi. 'I guess Tseng didn't tell you that bit, huh... I've never spoken to her. My mother... Godo was only with her once. Surely you can tell I'm not fully Wutaian from the hair and pale skin?'

'Yeah... so, what? Do you, y'know, hate them then? Yuffie and Godo, I mean...'

'Why would I hate them?' Toshi snorted. 'Yuffie hasn't done anything to harm me, and Godo, well, I can see why he didn't stay with my mother.'

'I suppose,' Reno replied with a frown. After a few moments of silence, Toshi spoke again.

'Why did he find us outside of Midgar?' She clutched her forehead, suddenly aware of the throbbing pain in her wound.

'I don't know,' Reno admitted. 'I guess they figured we'd die from our wounds. We would have, too, if Vincent hadn't found us.'

'Anyway,' continued Toshi, 'we'd best be getting back to Junon.' She stood up and walked shakily towards the door, but Reno blocked her path.

'Whoa, whoa, we're not going anywhere. Look at you.' He grabbed her shoulders to stop her. 'You're not going anywhere today, that's quite a blow to your head you took.'

Toshi did not resist as Reno lay her down on her bed again, instead allowing herself to be moved about like a doll.

'You know this is all your fault, don't you?' Reno said, his voice a mixture of emotions, as though he did not know whether to sound annoyed, angry or even faintly amused.

'I know,' Toshi whispered, her eyes closing slowly. 'I'm sorry, I guess...'

**---x---**

**I had to get a slight hint that Yuffie finally got with Vincent in here! XD**

**Please review :) **

**Char x  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

'Here.' The familiar man smirked as he flicked two cards onto Tseng's lap. 'The I.D. of the two Turks that came to find us six days ago.' Tseng closed his eyes, a cold wave of dread flooding over him.

'You mean, Toshi and Reno are-'

'Dead, yes,' the man said bluntly. 'My comrade left them outside Midgar with heavy injuries, there's no way they'll have survived. The girl especially - she was almost gone. Such a waste, you know... she and I could have been, how do you say, good friends?'

'That's enough.' Tseng sounded strangled as he spoke, yet he felt a strange flutter of hope in his chest; their deaths had not been witnessed, so they might yet be alive.

'What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve?' The man gasped in mock surprise. 'Did that redhead mean more to you than... just a colleague?'

'No!' Tseng leapt from his seat, fumbling inside his jacket to locate the gun he kept hidden. But he was not fast enough, and when he turned to face the man again, the muzzle of his pistol was almost touching Tseng's head, directly between his eyes.

'I'm Sho, by the way,' he grinned. 'I thought I'd tell you before you die.' Tseng shut his eyes, anticipating the shot; hopefully, he'd be dead before he really felt it. A few moments later, his eyes sprang open again and a familiar voice rang out through the room.

'Tseng isn't going to die. You are.' Sho turned around to face his challenger, a woman whom he had presumed dead, sporting a bloody bandage around her head. Without hesitating, she pulled two identical pistols from her waist and pulled the triggers simultaneously before Sho could even take aim. He stumbled, gasping for breath and clutching the two holes in his chest, blood seeping through his blue shirt. A few moments later, he fell to the floor face-first, his breathing ceasing.

'Urgh, Rude, take him away,' Tseng ordered. 'He'll bleed all over the carpet. That other man who was with him, I think he ran away, but the guards downstairs will probably pick him up-' he paused as two gunshots rang out in the distance, '-there we go.' He then turned his attention towards Toshi, advancing towards her.

'Toshi, I...' he tailed off, realising he did not know what to say. He had noticed that she was staring at him with her usual blank expression; kind words were wasted when she was like that. Instead, he held out his hand, a small card in between his fingers. 'Your I.D. card. But where's-'

'Toshi!' Reno's angry voice answered Tseng's impending question for him as the man appeared at the entrance to the Turks' office. 'I told you to follow me, and even though you caused the whole thing, you still don't listen-'

'Oh, so I get no thanks for saving Tseng's life?' she retorted, her face turning crimson with rage. 'Also, I think you're forgetting that I-'

'Toshi, that's enough.' Tseng's voice was firm and she shut her mouth abruptly, her teeth clenched as she and Reno continued to glare at each other. 'My office. Now.'

'But, Tseng-'

'No buts. Just do it.'

***

'Tseng, I-'

'Toshi. Shut up.' Tseng ordered in a stern voice, and Toshi was surprised at his sharpness. She swallowed and began to stare at the floor, her expression sheepish. 'What happened today,' he continued, 'could have been avoided. That is, it would not have happened had you not given the order for yourself and Reno to go to Midgar. You should have waited for me.'

'Don't you think I know that?' To Tseng's surprise, Toshi was almost wailing, and he was taken aback to see that her eyes glistened with tears. 'You think I'm proud of myself? I nearly got you... I nearly got us all killed.' A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly brushed it away, ashamed at her display. 'I know what I did,' she sniffed, 'but I couldn't tell you why I did it.'

'Toshi...' Tseng walked over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off immediately, her glossy eyes sparkling with annoyance.

'Don't,' she hissed, 'act like you care. You're just upset because I nearly got your best Turk killed.' Before Tseng could argue, she had turned her back on him and begun to walk away, only stopping when Tseng said her name again.

'Toshi!'

'What now, Tseng?'

'Where are your boots?' He had just noticed her feet, bare and covered in red scratches.

'Oh,' she said, slightly surprised by his question. 'High heels aren't the best at long distance. From Kalm to Junon is quite a way; I had to take them off. As it is, my feet aren't in the best state now anyway... maybe I should think about wearing that uniform you gave me.' Tseng could only watch her as she walked out of the door, slightly bemused at her rare showing of sadness. Convinced that her cold, defensive persona was starting to weaken, he felt a strange sense of happiness inside him as he saw her approach Reno slowly.

***

'Leader!' Reno said as Tseng entered the main Turks office from his room at the side. 'Toshi just resigned as second in command!'

'She did what?' Tseng couldn't hide the surprise in his voice. 'Where is she now?'

'Medical department, I think,' Reno said with a shrug. 'Her injuries were pretty bad. She should have gone straight away instead of coming up here...'

'Hmm, I'll go see her later. Remind me.' He paused momentarily as he remembered what he had intended to ask Reno. 'Now, tell me what happened.'

'What happened? When?'

'Everything, from the beginning.'

'It's a long story-'

'I've got the time.' Tseng insisted impatiently.

'Alright, if you really want it all...' Reno began to detail every action that they had taken, from Toshi ordering that they go to Midgar, to waking up in Kalm, and eventually to making their way back to Junon on foot.

'And then Toshi stormed up here when I warned her not to-'

'Saving my life in the process,' interrupted Tseng coolly, and Reno quickly shut his mouth, unable to think of a valid argument.

'Yes, Leader,' he eventually replied, sounding unusually subdued. 'Weren't you going to go and see her in the infirmary?' His eyes met with Tseng's, his expression defiant, challenging his leader to show any more affection towards their young colleague.

'Yes,' Tseng said, his voice still cold. Reno instantly regretted asking, and averted his eyes in fear of Tseng's temper, but the older Turk did not sound angry when he next spoke.

'You and Rude should too, really,' he suggested lightly. 'I'm sure she'd visit you, if you were injured.' Reno only laughed nervously, unsure at his leader's seriousness.

'I'm not so sure she would,' he mumbled under his breath once Tseng was out of earshot.

**---x---**

**Only a few chapters left! **

**Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it all :) **

**Please review!**

**Char x  
**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Toshi blinked as she awoke, her eyes darting from side to side as she tried to figure out where she was. The room was completely white, and she blinked again to try and focus her eyes properly. Her headache was less severe than it had been when she'd arrived at the infirmary and nearly collapsed in the arms of the Shinra doctor, and she sighed as her head sunk into her pillow again.

'Toshi, welcome back.' Tseng's soft voice startled her, and she noticed that he was sat in the chair beside her bed, much like she had been when he was injured.

'Tseng...' she said quietly, unsure of what to say to him. 'What are you doing here?' she asked after a brief pause, her voice having not lost its cold edge despite her grogginess. The expression on her face, however, was very different to the one she usually wore; she tried so hard to disguise it, but her eyes gave away her happiness.

'To see how you are. Why else?' Tseng replied. 'I do care about you, you know.'

'Thanks. But you don't have to, just because you work with me.'

'I don't care just because you work with me!' he tried to explain. 'It has nothing to do with you being a Turk-'

'Sure it doesn't.' Toshi said flatly. 'If not, it's because you feel sorry for me.'

'No.' Tseng insisted, sounding exasperated. 'But I can tell that you're not going to listen to me now. Get well soon.' His tone was icy and more formal than previously, and Toshi frowned, unable to understand why he cared for her or why she could offend him so easily. Exhausted, she closed her eyes with a soft sigh, listening to Tseng's footsteps getting further away as he left her alone.

'Tseng, I'm sorry...' she whispered, before falling into a deep sleep again.

***

'Toshi?' Her sleep was interrupted by another familiar voice some time later, and it took her a few moments to realise who it was.

'Tseng?' she asked sleepily. 'I thought you... oh. Reno. What do you want?'

'To see how you are,' he told her, his eyebrows raised at her defensive tone.

'What is this?' she muttered sarcastically. 'Everyone seems to care, all of a sudden.'

'Well, we've gotten used to having you around,' he said with a shrug. 'Even if your injuries were your own fault, we still care-'

'Reno, shut up,' she snapped, suddenly more awake. 'I gave you your job back, that's all that you wanted, right?'

'Toshi... alright, I'll admit that you're not my favourite person-'

'I never would have guessed.'

'But,' Reno continued, glancing at her angrily as she interrupted, 'after what you did for Tseng, saving his life twice, I trust you.'

Toshi snorted mockingly, her mouth twisted into a sneer.

'Well, I don't trust you,' was her sharp reply, and she rolled over in her bed to face away from him. 'Now leave me alone.'

'Toshi, why have you always hated me?' Reno asked, a serious note in his voice, and Toshi turned over again, surprised at his sudden question.

'I just... can't bear you,' she mumbled. 'Everything about you makes me cringe.' She sounded scornful but restrained, as though she was still hiding something. But Reno did not pursue the matter, instead he merely stood up and did as she'd asked, leaving her without another word.

She sat up as he left, watching him intently as he walked through the door to her room.

'Reno...' she whispered, her eyes full of sadness. 'You... you let him die.' She gave a small sob, startling the Shinra doctor that had arrived to check her injuries, and tears fell from her cheeks as she wept into her white bed sheets, her mascara staining them black.

***

'Glad to have you back, Toshi.' She stepped into the office for the first time in over a week, fully aware that the other three Turks were watching her with unfaltering gazes. She inclined her head politely as she heard Reno's words, but she knew that they were merely a formality.

'Reno, I-'

'Save it, Toshi,' he warned through gritted teeth. 'Just get back to work.'

'What am I doing?'

'Hmm... paperwork, I think,' he said, smirking slightly. 'Rude and I are off on a job, scouting Midgar for more signs of that group. Now that the leader's dead, we might be able to disband them entirely.'

'I'm coming-'

'No you're not,' Reno said, clearly enjoying the power he had over Toshi. 'You're no longer in a position to make demands.'

Toshi glanced at Tseng in the hope that he might persuade Reno to take her with them, but the leader simply watched them, his face expressionless.

'Fine,' she muttered quietly, sitting down on a nearby chair heavily and pulling a pile of paper towards her. As she watched Reno and Rude leave, she felt a pang of regret that she had given up her job so readily, but she quickly shook her head to clear it. Deep down, she had known from the beginning that Rufus was wrong to give her a position higher than Reno.

A few minutes later, the feeling of a hand resting on her shoulder startled her and she jerked her head up to find Tseng looking down on her. A moment later, he drew up a chair and sat down beside her.

'Reno told me what you said,' Tseng explained, 'but he also told me that he thought you and him were beginning to get on at least a little better. What happened? You know, Reno's been affected since you arrived, too. He's been snappy, and he was always so laid back. Maybe you two just naturally don't get on.'

Unable to meet Tseng's eyes, Toshi focused on a point to the left of his right foot before responding.

'Every time I see him, I just... well, we never got on, right from when we met, but...' She stopped, unable to fully explain, hoping that she had given Tseng enough clues as to how she felt.

'It's about the old Turk, isn't it?' he asked softly, wary of the possibility of Toshi flying into a rage. 'You blame Reno, just because he found him...'

Toshi could do nothing except nod slightly, somewhat relieved that he had figured it out for himself.

'I mucked up, Tseng,' she blurted out. 'I nearly got us killed, and still I act like a spoilt child... I never had the right to have control over Reno and Rude.' She laughed, shaking her head sadly. Tseng watched her awkwardly, unsure of how to respond; before he could say anything, Toshi spoke again.

'It's funny, I can't cry for him any more.' She stared out of the window, up at the sky, her eyes glazing over as if they were out of focus. 'It's like I've run out of tears to shed.'

'Toshi...' They were both stood up now, by the large window overlooking the sea, and Tseng drew closer to her. 'You didn't know him all that well, you didn't even know his name... maybe you're finally letting him go. I've let somebody go, too...'

She shut her eyes and sighed softly, still refusing to look at Tseng. She was aware of his arms around her waist, and before she knew it, she was in his arms, her head resting on his chest. An unfamiliar feeling swept over her, one of security and happiness, but it was relatively short-lived. A moment later, the thought of the disappointment she had felt when 'two-guns' had never returned served to cancel out that happiness, along with the desire to never experience that feeling again.

She wriggled free and pushed him away, her eyes beginning to glisten.

'Tseng,' she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. 'I can't.' The woman who usually had a sharp word for every situation was speechless, and when she finally managed to choke out a sentence, it was only to inform Tseng that she would be going home.

Tseng watched her leave, one hand pressed to his forehead. Despite her stubbornness, he felt surprisingly happy, for he was convinced that he had finally seen for himself that his feelings were not totally unrequited.

**---x---**

**Please review! **

**Just 2 more chapters after this... boo**

**Char x  
**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

'Toshi, you're late.' Tseng's voice was urgent as she stepped into the office the following morning, her eyes bloodshot as though she had hardly slept. 'We're off to Midgar. Reno and Rude have confirmed the location of the remaining two members of the anti-Shinra group, and it'll be easier to fight them if we're all there.' He stopped, looking worried as he noticed Toshi's appearance. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine,' she assured him, though her voice was weak. 'Of course I'm coming with you.'

She followed Tseng out to the Shinra helicopter, and before they entered, Tseng noticed her attire.

'Toshi, you're wearing full uniform' he remarked, genuinely surprised.

'Yeah...' she mumbled. 'I told you, I realised high heels aren't so good for this job.'

Clambering into the helicopter after him, Toshi yawned and sat down heavily. For the entire journey they sat in silence, the atmosphere tense. It was only broken as they disembarked outside the gates of the Midgar sector four slums, when Toshi spoke quietly.

'Tseng, about yesterday-'

'Later,' he told her, shaking his head. 'The sooner we get to Reno and Rude, the sooner we can get out of here.' Toshi nodded and followed him in a puppet-like fashion, her face expressionless and her arms still by her sides. They soon came across the other two Turks, who waiting for them just inside the slum entrance.

'Leader!' Reno called, waving his arms. 'Over here- Toshi, are you okay?' he added, startled by her face, which was paler than usual.

'I'm fine, thank you,' she replied, and Reno raised his eyebrows, unsure whether he was more surprised at her gaunt appearance or her politeness.

'Let's go,' said Tseng after a few moments of awkward silence. 'Reno, you lead the way. You said you knew where we're going.'

'Yup,' the red-haired Turk answered, beckoning for the others to follow him. Whilst they were walking, he gave them a briefing as to what they were going to do.

'There's only two of them left,' he explained, 'so it's probably easier if we just storm the place rather than trying to be sneaky. Too much effort.' Tseng found himself smiling slightly as he noticed Reno's visible change in attitude since he had regained his position as deputy leader of the Turks; he was beginning to return to his more carefree self.

'So,' he continued, 'I'd arm yourselves now if I were you.'

'That's you too, Toshi,' Tseng whispered in his colleague's ear when she didn't respond.

'Wha- oh, yeah,' she murmured, fumbling with her concealed pistols. Frowning, Tseng felt anxious about her shaky appearance and apparent exhaustion, but there was nothing he could do about it.

'Right!' called Reno as they arrived outside a small, run-down building with dirty walls and boarded-up windows. 'This is it.' A moment later, he kicked the door of the building down and entered, his electromagnetic rod held firmly in both hands. Close behind him were Rude, Tseng and finally, Toshi.

'What?' gasped their only remaining female member as she saw Reno standing at her door. Dropping the plate she was holding, she quickly recognised the blue uniform. 'Kei!' she screamed. 'Kei! It's the Turks!' A man, whom the others could only presume to be Kei came running through, pistol in hand, to face the four Turks; meanwhile, the terrified woman stood with her back pressed against the wall.

'How did you find us?' Kei spat, aware that the attention of all four people he faced was concentrated on him. Reno answered him, one of the only two the man recognised; the other was Toshi, for he had been the man to leave them outside Midgar with near-fatal injuries.

'Well, it was easy enough,' he said, with a slight smile. 'I bet you're wondering how we survived too, huh? That was... also easy. I'm sure your leader was sorry you didn't finish the job.'

'What happened to Sho?' Kei asked, his face falling.

'Let's just say this little one is more ruthless than she looks,' Reno replied, gesturing at Toshi, who was staring at the floor. 'Her skill with the pistols is comparable with Tseng's.'

'Sho... is dead?' His pistol fell to the floor with a clatter and his mouth gaped open. 'We thought he was just late coming back...'

***

Toshi stayed perfectly still, her pistols in her hands which were hanging limply down by her sides. She was vaguely aware of Reno mentioning her name to the man that stood before her, but she was not taking in any information, and her eyelids drooped with tiredness. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the young woman reaching for a pistol which was tucked into her belt, but it didn't cross her mind that none of the others were watching her movements; instead, their gazes were fixed on Kei.

Trembling, the woman raised her pistol and took aim at the Turk that had killed her close friend, the leader of the anti-Shinra group. Toshi blinked, her eyes unfocused, unable to raise her arms and respond as she stood completely frozen to the spot. The following gunshot silenced the four arguing men momentarily, and Toshi fell to her knees, her pistols slipping from her grip. Clutching her stomach, she wondered why her blouse felt wet, and as she fell to the floor, she thought she heard somebody calling out her name in the distance. As she tried to reply, she found she could not open her mouth, and her eyes began to slide out of focus before her world finally went black.

***

'Toshi!' Tseng bent over the younger woman, pressing his hand to the wound to try and slow the blood flowing from her stomach. Glancing around, he saw the woman flee into a room to the side of the room.

'Rude!' Calling his colleague over to take over as makeshift medic, he stood up and ran after her, leaving Reno to fight off Kei.

He found her in the next room, shivering as she curled up in a tight ball against the wall, her eyes wide with terror. Seeing him enter after her, she scrambled to her feet again and immediately pulled the trigger on her pistol again; to her dismay, it clicked pathetically, out of ammunition. Backing towards the wall behind her, she stared at Tseng with a look of resignation.

'Don't...' she whispered. 'Please...' But her pleading did no good and a few seconds later she was screaming, clutching her bleeding shoulder as she fell to the floor. Tseng strode towards her and leant over the wailing woman.

'Please don't kill me,' she begged in between gasps of pain. 'Please!'

Pressing the pistol to her forehead, Tseng's eyes were dull with pain.

'You don't deserve to live,' he told her, his finger against the trigger. 'This is for Toshi... and Elena.' Glancing at the ceiling, he couldn't bring himself to look at the woman as the shot rang out through the room, the sound deafening.

Entering the other room again, Tseng found that Rude was holding a limp Toshi in his arms as the two of them waited for him to return. Kei was lying spreadeagled across the floor, his eyes open but lifeless, and Tseng noticed the wound on his head, apparently caused by Reno's weapon.

'Did you get her, Leader?' the red-haired Turk asked him, and Tseng could only respond with a nod as he stared at the woman in Rude's arms, her face paler and her features more delicate than ever.

**---x---**

**The last chapter will be up in a couple of days! **

**Hope you've enjoyed it :) **

**Char x  
**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

'You're one lucky girl,' said a voice vaguely familiar to Toshi as she blinked her eyes open. A woman dressed entirely in white stood over her, and it took her a few moments to recognise her as the same Shinra doctor who had treated her the last time she had ended up in the infirmary. 'A bit higher up and it would have hit you square in the chest, and you wouldn't be here now. When I let you leave, do try to stay out of this place for more than a few days.' The woman jotted something down on a clipboard, shaking her head disapprovingly before moving away.

Toshi shifted in her bed, feeling an excruciating pain in the left side of her stomach. Her hand automatically moved to it and she felt the blood-soaked bandage that was wrapped around it, sighing as she realised how much time she would have to spend away from her work.

Yawning, she felt just as tired as she had when she had gone on assignment two days previously. Unable to sleep during the night beforehand, she had turned up for work in a zombie-like state, her mind filled with thoughts of her brief encounter with Tseng. Even then, thinking of Tseng made her heart skip a beat with anxiety; she had no idea what to say next time she saw him.

'You're awake!' Toshi couldn't suppress a smile as she instantly recognised the voice of the man that had filled her thoughts as he walked towards her bed, his eyes glinting. Unsteadily, she clambered out of it, falling almost immediately.

'Whoa!' he said, catching her gently before she hit the floor. 'Are you crazy? At least sit on the bed if you don't want to lie in it.' He lifted her back up and she smiled weakly, her eyes warm. Tseng realised he had rarely seen her smile so honestly; usually it was mocking or fake, her eyes giving away her real emotion. Staring into them, he was startled when she waved her hands in front of his face.

'Err... Tseng?' she asked, wincing in pain as she did so.

'Oh, sorry,' he said with a slight laugh. 'How are you?' He paused, rolling his eyes at himself. 'Stupid question...'

'I'll live,' she sighed, she face contorted with pain. 'I'll be off work for a while though, I think. How are Reno and Rude?'

'They're good, they're...' He hesitated as he tried to think of the right way to word his question. 'Why... why do you ask? I mean... what's changed?' Bracing himself for an angry outburst, he was surprised when it did not come; instead, she spoke to him calmly.

'When I woke up I realised I was glad it was me lying in the bed, not any of you guys,' she answered simply, shrugging slightly as though she were almost embarrassed. 'Even Reno,' she added, laughing slightly before wincing.

'Ouch,' she gasped. 'Must stop laughing. It hurts too much.' Tseng sat on the bed beside her gently, careful not to cause her more pain.

'I guess...' he began, his voice soft. 'I guess that Rufus' reason of employing you failed, then?' He smiled happily at her and she returned it, her eyes glowing.

'Yes,' she agreed nervously, with a slight shrug.

Tseng pulled her towards him gently, careful to put no pressure on her wound, for it was only two days since she had been shot and it was still raw. Holding her in his arms, the two of them fell silent as they embraced for a few minutes, Toshi laying her head against his chest. Eventually, she broke the silence as she sniffed nervously.

'Tseng...' She sounded pained, the warm tone having vanished from her voice.

'What is it?' he asked, turning her head with his hand so he could look her in the eyes.

'What... what if you... what if you die on me, like... like he did?' Tseng held her to him even tighter, as tight as he could risk, as he thought about his reply.

'I won't leave you,' he answered after a few moments, his voice quiet. 'I promise.'

'But you might...' she said, tailing off as a tear slid down her cheek. Brushing it away, she stared down at her bed, her eyes brimming with more tears.

'Toshi,' he replied, running the fingers on his right hand through her long, red hair. 'We can't base our lives on what ifs. You have to trust me on this one... I won't leave you.' He raised her chin with his hand so that she made eye contact with him again, her worried expression replaced with one of relief.

'Okay,' was all she whispered in reply. As she tilted her head sideward, Tseng bent his head towards hers and their lips brushed gently. At his touch, Toshi felt a warmth spread throughout her whole body, and she could feel him smiling as they shared their first kiss.

***

'I knew it,' said Reno smugly, as he and Rude stood watching them through the infirmary door. 'It's a fine line between love and hate, I suppose,' he added, laughing at his use of the old cliché.

'Mmm,' grunted Rude, raising his eyebrows behind his sunglasses.

'My tactic didn't work,' remarked Rufus, who was standing slightly behind them. 'Hopefully I'll have more luck in moving the company forward.'

The three of them tried to restrain their laughter so as not to alert Toshi and Tseng that they were watching them, but as Toshi opened her eyes, she saw the end of Reno's crimson ponytail swish out of sight.

'They were watching!' she said indignantly, although she still smiled broadly.

'Well,' replied Tseng with a slight laugh, 'at least we won't have to tell them. Think how much fun Reno could have watching us squirm!'

'Yeah,' agreed Toshi, hesitating slightly. 'Tseng?'

'Yes?'

'Kiss me again.'

**---x---**

**So, last chapter! **

**That ending was so hard to write... I must have changed it about 5 times! **

**But I enjoyed writing it, hope it's been fun to read! **

**Char x  
**


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